Lindenwood-Belleville’s New Football Field Draws National Criticism

BELLEVILLE, Ill. (KMOX) — Lindenwood University’s new $2.3 million dollar football stadium improvements in Belleville are drawing some national attention and not all of it is positive.

Specifically the attention is focused on the turf. Scott Spinner, Director of Inter-Collegiate Athletics at Lindenwood says he knew the maroon and gray alternating five yard stripes would attract attention. A Yahoo Sports story Wednesday called the just-completed field hideous and an abomination to sports.

He says they consulted with a few Lindenwood players and went to see the only other striped football field at the University of Central Arkansas before deciding to move forward with the project.

“We knew the whole time, some people would love it and some people would hate it but people would talk about it. (laughs) And we didn’t necessarily do it for the publicity. We did it because it was unique. And we did it for the student athlete experience.”

And how do the athletes feel about playing on a field the Yahoo sports writer said looked like a flattened out barbershop pole?

Spinner says they’re really excited about it adding they (the players) believe it’s going to set their program apart from others and they’re ecstatic about it

The team’s first home football game ever in the new stadium on the striped field is September first against Avila.